Varsity Chatham-Kent Cougars Look to Outrun the Predators in OFC Rematch
They’ve had their number all season, but that doesn’t mean the Chatham-Kent Cougars are calling themselves the prey as they head into Sunday’s Ontario Football Conference playoff match-up against the Twin Cities Predators.
Although Chatham-Kent Cougars head coach and president Selwyn Jordan understands they’re entering this game as the underdogs after finishing the regular season 4-4, and losing 37-22 to the same Twin Cities Predators, he thinks his team is better than their record gives credit for,
“We had probably the hardest schedule in the league playing the best teams twice, where other teams played outside conference games.”
Those “best teams,” in the eyes of Coach Jordan are the Twin Cities Predators, and their likely opponent if they defeat Twin Cities, the Burlington Stampeders.
Jordan and his team, featuring three players who travelled to the Canada Footbal Cup National Championships earlier this month, aren’t looking too far into the future though, they’re focused on the task at hand 7pm this Sunday at Seagram Stadium in Waterloo, and that task is defeating the Twin Cities Predators,
“The key to this game, is last week we were able to score some points on them, but they have a great coaching staff and I’m sure they’re going to make adjustments. We’re going to have to make those mid-game adjustments too.”
Jordan, who next season will also have a coaching role with the University of Windsor Lancers football program, stated that last week, special teams and turnovers were an issue pointing to costly blocked punts and fumbles in the game. This week however, his team hopes to wreak the same havoc on the Twin Cities Predators, particularly their talented quarterback,
“Their quarterback is excellent,” said Jordan, “and we’ll have to contain their passing game. We’re hoping to slow him down because all their receivers are dangerous.”
Facing one of the toughest teams in the Ontario Football Conference in the South Division semi-final, it will be the Chatham-Kent Cougars’ veterans who keep the team on track, stay consistent, and inevitably decide the fate of this team as they hope to advance deeper into the OFC playoffs,
“We’re fortunate to have many players who will be moving on to the next level after this season. We’re looking for consistency and are asking our veterans to step up. We have roughly 15 players who will be moving on and we’ll be leaning on them for mistake free football. When things are tough, we need them to stay positive and rally the team.”